The Novel and I

Post date: 5th March 2014

I’m sitting here wondering how March has come around so quickly. It doesn’t seem five minutes since I decided to go for it and write that novel. So where am after a month? Well, I’m roughly 47,100 words in, and I can’t believe I’ve been able to write that much on one story. The pages of my manuscript are now heavy, and I’m possibly only half way. I’m aiming to hit 50,000 words this week, well hit it, and pass it.

The novel, just as I hoped, is writing itself. I did fear that I hadn’t planned enough because I didn’t know all of my characters or what each chapter would be etc. All I had was a firm beginning and end, a general idea of the middle, and details about the main characters. It took a lot for me to start writing and to tell myself to stop planning, but I found the perfect balance. I’ve been planning and changing things while I write. I find myself approaching the story as a reader as well as a writer, scenes and characters just appear, it’s exciting to not know exactly how things will work out. I know the ending will be the same, but the middle, well, that has taken so many twists and turns. Saying that there is a possibility that the ending I have planned might not even be the final ending.

I cannot wait to finish, and hold the completed first draft in my hand. I plan to celebrate that achievement because it sure will be, and then I will have to prepare myself for the next task that will be even more of a challenge. But I’m ready for this fight. I have faith in this story I just need to make everyone else feel the same way. Even though this journey is a struggle it has given me life, a purpose, and it has allowed a little girl to live her dreams.